reading and writing about why we work

03/01/2015

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Fairest of Them All?

The film, The Devil Wears Prada,is a movie about one woman’s journey to rediscover what she values most in her life. In the film, Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) by chance lands a position working for the overly critical and highly demanding editor-in-chief of Runway fashion magazine, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). With no experience in the fashion industry, and despite the initial ridicule and impossible demands she receives from her boss, Andrea overcomes these challenges to become a very capable assistant to Miranda. Unfortunately, the position requires that she is almost always working and as a result, she finds herself distanced from the very people she loves most. Throughout the film, Andrea progresses from a modestly dressed woman into a sophisticated fashionista and learns to appreciate the artistic creativity that fashion professionals must have to be successful within that industry. Consequently, she also begins to respect the dedication that her boss has to her work. Ultimately however, Andrea discovers that the allure of the glamour and prestige holds little meaning when she has to sacrifice what she genuinely holds most dear.

According to Ken Bain, in his book, What the Best College Students Do, “external motivators can actually decrease interest” (43) in an activity especially when the activity does not align with a person’s core values or interests because we feel we are not genuinely choosing the activity. Lacking any genuine interest in fashion, and valuing her connection with her friends and family, leads Andrea up to a defining moment in the film when her boss makes the rhetorical statement “Who wouldn’t want this [lifestyle]. Everybody wants to be us.” Andrea, then steps out of the car they were in and instead of following her boss, makes the decision to take control of her own future, return to a career within her field of study, and re-establish relationships with her friends and family.

Each of us must decide what we value in life; and based upon those values, we must decide what goals to attain. Even though, in the movie, the fashion industry was depicted in a negative light, I believe that Andrea’s decision expressing what she valued in her life, was simply different than Miranda’s desire to work within the high stress position of editor-in-chief for Runway fashion magazine. Indeed, during the final scenes of the film, in separate moments, we can briefly see Miranda and Andrea smiling respectfully towards each other. The reality that people face in order to attain significant roles or mastery within any field typically requires a level of dedication where for a large period of time, their lives become imbalanced, and their work becomes their lifestyle. We can see this in the film as Andrea struggles within a considerably demanding role that “a million girls would kill for” and Miranda sacrifices her relationship with her husband as a result of the imbalance her job has created in her life. Bain’s book discusses what factors allow for people to become successful and creative. Among these are time, dedication, and hard work. This understanding is reflected in Andrea as she grows to respect the artistry involved in Miranda’s industry.

For those who value work-life balance like myself, please check out the Ted talk below.